High efficacy of brigatinib for brain metastases in ALK fusion gene-positive non-small cell lung cancer: A case series.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion gene-positive lung cancer often shows brain metastasis at initial diagnosis or during the course of treatment. However, molecular-targeted drugs are known to pass through the blood-brain barrier and present positive effects for central nervous system lesions. There are few reports suggesting how effective molecular-targeted drug therapy alone is for brain metastasis lesions of ALK fusion-positive lung cancer, especially after the first use of ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) or for bulky brain metastases. A patient in his mid-fifties with stage IV pleural dissemination developed brain metastases after 10 years of crizotinib use, but showed a complete response after switching to brigatinib. Moreover, a patient in her early sixties with stage III recurrent large brain metastases 5 years after chemoradiation therapy experienced dramatic tumor shrinkage with brigatinib. In each case of ALK fusion gene-positive lung cancer with brain metastases, brigatinib showed a high efficacy and was well-tolerated after previous ALK-TKI and for bulky lesions.

A case of ventricular triple rupture after an acute myocardial infarction.

Cardiac rupture, such as ventricular free-wall rupture, ventricular septal perforation, and papillary muscle rupture, is a life-threatening complication of acute myocardial infarction. Herein, we report a very rare case of combining these three types of ventricular rupture. A 71-year-old woman underwent mitral valve replacement and left ventricular free-wall rupture repair after an acute myocardial infarction. She was transferred to our hospital under mechanical support by venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and intra-aortic balloon pump due to circulatory collapse. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a left-to-right shunt caused by ventricular septal perforation. The patient underwent endoventricular patch plasty for septal defect closure. Unfortunately, a prolonged postoperative course led to the development of multi-organ failure followed by fatal outcome on day 32 postoperatively. To our best knowledge, this is the first reported case of ventricular triple rupture associated with acute myocardial infarction.

Entry Site Is Associated With Aortic Enlargement After Pre-emptive Endovascular Repair for Uncomplicated Type B Aortic Dissection.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to examine the mid-term results corresponding to the entry site in patients who underwent pre-emptive thoracic endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (TEVAR) for uncomplicated type B aortic dissection (TBAD). METHODS: We included 27 patients who underwent pre-emptive TEVAR for uncomplicated TBAD between September 2014 and December 2019. We divided the patients into 2 groups depending on the proximal landing zone (zone 2 group, zone ≥3 group) and retrospectively analyzed the risk of all-cause and aorta-related mortality, aortic events (rupture, open conversion, and secondary intervention), and aortic enlargement (≥5 mm). RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 53 (47-65) years. The median duration from the onset of uncomplicated TBAD to TEVAR was 43 (30-99) days, and the median follow-up duration was 48 (36-57) months. The maximum preoperative diameter of the dissected aorta was 40 mm in the zone 2 group and 35 mm in the zone ≥3 group (p=0.134). There was no case of hospital death or spinal cord ischemia; however, there was 1 (3.7%) case of perioperative stroke in the zone 2 group. Multivariate analysis of the risk factors for aortic enlargement following pre-emptive TEVAR for uncomplicated TBAD revealed that only zone 2 landing was an independent risk factor. The estimated Kaplan-Meier curve showed a higher rate of aortic enlargement in the zone 2 group at 4 years after pre-emptive TEVAR (46.4% vs 0%, log-rank test; p=0.011). CONCLUSIONS: In this study on TBAD, we found that zone 2 landing was associated with aortic enlargement after pre-emptive TEVAR. In cases where the distance from the left subclavian artery to a major entry point was short, there were more cases of aortic dilatation. CLINICAL IMPACT: The effectiveness of entry closure for type B aortic dissection was demonstrated in the INSTEAD XL trial. The cause of aortic enlargement after pre-emptive endovascular treatment for type B aortic dissection remains controversial. In the present study, zone 2 landing was a risk factor for aortic enlargement after pre-emptive thoracic endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (TEVAR) for uncomplicated type B dissection. Patients with zone 2 landing should be closely followed up after pre-emptive TEVAR.

Rapid anticalcification treatment for glutaraldehyde-fixed autologous tissue in cardiovascular surgery.

BACKGROUND: Glutaraldehyde (GA)-fixed autologous tissues, including the pericardium, are widely used as patches and valve substitutes in cardiovascular surgery. However, GA treatment causes tissue calcification. No rapid anticalcification method has been established for use during surgery. Here, we aimed to establish a rapid anticalcification method using ethanol, as has already been demonstrated for bioprosthetic valves. METHODS: Thoracic aorta tissues were first fixed with GA for 3 min and then treated with ethanol for 0 (group 2), 10 (group 3), 20 (group 4), and 30 (group 5) min; untreated tissues (group 1) served as the control. The treated tissues were subdermally implanted into 3-week-old male Wistar rats and kept in place for 28 days. The calcification in each explant was semiquantitatively evaluated by annotating and measuring the area using virtual slides, and the data obtained were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Semiquantitative analysis revealed that calcification of the implants from the untreated group (group 1; P = 0.0014) and groups 4 (P = 0.0014) and 5 (P = 0.0031) was significantly lower than that of implants from group 2. Moreover, implants from group 3 showed a tendency toward decreased calcification, although it was not significant (P = 0.0503). CONCLUSIONS: A rapid ethanol treatment prevents calcification of GA-fixed tissues in a rat model of subdermal implantation. This method may facilitate effective and rapid anticalcification of autologous tissues for use during cardiovascular surgery.

Tracheo-innominate artery fistula with continuous bleeding successfully treated through the suprasternal approach: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Tracheo-innominate artery fistula (TIF) is a rare but fatal complication occurring after tracheotomy. Brachiocephalic trunk transection, one of the surgical treatments for TIF, is mostly associated with a full or partial median sternotomy. We describe a case of TIF with continuous bleeding, which was successfully treated with brachiocephalic trunk transection through a collar incision without the need for median sternotomy. CASE PRESENTATION: Case 1. An 18-year-old man was referred to our hospital with bleeding from a tracheal stoma, which had ceased prior to admission. TIF was suspected after examination. Innominate artery transection was performed through a collar incision. TIF was not revealed when we cut the innominate artery anterior wall open; therefore, we opted for preventive surgical intervention. The post-operative course was uneventful, and the patient was asymptomatic at the 3-year follow-up. Case 2. A 14-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital with bleeding from a tracheal stoma, and TIF was suspected after examination. There was persistent bleeding when the cuff of the tracheotomy tube was deflated. Brachiocephalic trunk transection was performed through a collar incision using balloon occlusion. The post-operative course was uneventful, and rebleeding has not occurred 2 years later. CONCLUSIONS: Brachiocephalic trunk transection without any median sternotomy may offer the benefits of post-operative infection prevention. In patients with suspected continuous bleeding, using a balloon catheter may be a safe and effective method of treatment.

Two surgical cases of thymic MALT lymphoma associated with multiple lung cysts: possible association with Sjögren's syndrome.

Thymic mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is rare. Sjögren's syndrome (SjS) has strong association with thymic MALT lymphoma but the exact etiology is unknown. On the other hand, SjS is characterized by the complication of various lung manifestations, including lung cysts. The mechanism for these lesions is also unknown. But the underlying SjS could result in MALT lymphoma with lung cysts. Herein, we demonstrate two surgical cases of thymic MALT lymphoma associated with multiple lung cysts and the characterization of this rare tumor. During surgery, the tumors were found to be well capsuled and had no adhesion or invasion to the surrounding tissues consistent with its characteristics of low grade malignancy. When thymic MALT lymphoma is suspected clinically, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery might be the best approach for diagnosis. We propose that radiological findings of a thymic tumor along with lung cysts are an indication of thymic MALT lymphoma.

Efficient immobilization of colloidal particles from aqueous suspension by electrostatic interactions.

Anionically charged colloidal particles (ß-iron oxyhydroxide and smectite clay) were successfully removed from the suspension by the interactions with micrometer-sized hydrotalcite. The efficiency of the removal was evaluated by an examination of concentration-dependent experiments.